Removable retainer arrangements for flexible, vehicle tops

ABSTRACT

Retainer arrangements for removably attaching flexible tops to sports utility, convertible, and other vehicles. The arrangements include a belt or flange which is sewn or otherwise attached to the flexible top and a U-shaped channel which is formed on the vehicle body. In the preferred embodiments. the belt or flange is received in the U-shaped channel and a mating protuberance and recess arrangement is provided to removably lock the flange in the channel.

RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/437,322filed May 9, 1995 now U.S. Pat No. 5,702,147.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the field of tailgate sealing arrangements andmore particularly to the field of tailgate sealing arrangements forvehicles with flexible tops and tailgates having flat, upper surfaces.

2. Discussion of the Background

Providing effective sealing arrangements between vehicle tailgates andthe rear portions of vehicle tops has always presented challengingdesign problems. These problems are particularly prevalent in sportutility and other vehicles which have removable, flexible tops offabric-like material such as canvas or vinyl. Co-owned U.S. Pat. No.4,600,235 taught a very commercially successful approach to sealing atailgate with a vertically extending lip or surface against a rigidcrossbar attached to the flexible top. In subsequent modifications, theseal of this patented system was vertically mounted on the crossbar. Thevertically extending lip of the tailgate then closed against thevertically extending seal. This patented arrangement had the distinct,commercial advantage that the flexible top did not have to be attachedor otherwise secured to the tailgate to be held in place or to form aneffective seal. The tailgate could then be opened and closed withoutdisturbing the top. In this manner, the user could move objects into andout of the vehicle by simply opening just the tailgate without having tomanipulate or otherwise disturb the flexible top.

In this light, the present invention was developed. With it, thecommercially attractive feature of being able to operate the tailgatewithout disturbing the flexible top was successfully adapted to avehicle having a tailgate with a horizontally extending, flat, uppersurface rather than the vertically extending lip of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to tailgate sealing arrangements for sportutility and other vehicles having removable, flexible tops. The sealingarrangement includes an elongated, rigid member attached to the lowersection of the rear portion of the flexible top. The rigid member isremovably mounted to extend across the tailgate opening and has aflexible seal depending downwardly from it. The tailgate in thepreferred embodiment is mounted for pivotal movement about a verticalaxis and has a horizontally extending, flat, upper surface. In operationand as the tailgate is closed, the depending seal contacts and wipesacross the flat, upper surface of the tailgate to form an effectivesealing arrangement. All of this is done without having to disturb orotherwise manipulate the top.

In the preferred embodiment, the rigid member or crossbar is removablymounted at its ends to clips secured to the vehicle on either side ofthe tailgate opening. Each clip has a horizontally extending flangewhich is slideably received between the legs of a U-shaped channel oneach end of the rigid member. Each U-shaped channel is slightlyoversized relative to the flange and the channel and flange of each clipare provided with a mating protuberance and recess arrangement to lockthe two pieces in place. In operation, the rigid member with theflexible top attached to it is manually manipulated to slide itsU-shaped channels onto the flanges of the respective clips. In doing so,the flexible top is drawn taut and placed under tension. Upon releasingthe rigid member, the resilient force of the stretched top andcompressed seal causes the oversized U-shaped channels to cock or rotateon the clips. This seats the protuberance in the mating recess and helpsto lock the rigid member in place. Also, as the tailgate is closed andcompresses the remaining portion of the resilient seal suspended overthe tailgate opening, additional force is applied to the rigid bar bythis compressed portion of the seal to further enhance this cocking andlocking of the U-shaped channels on the respective clip flanges.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear view of a vehicle employing the tailgate sealingarrangement of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the tailgate of the vehiclein an open position providing access to the interior of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of the rear of the vehicleillustrating the components of the sealing arrangement.

FIG. 4 is a detail view showing the rear portion of the top as attachedto the elongated, rigid member of the sealing arrangement and furthershowing one of the retaining clips mounted on the side of the tailgateopening.

FIGS. 5-7 sequentially illustrate how the elongated, rigid member of thesealing arrangement is removably mounted to the retaining clips on thevehicle.

FIGS. 8-11 sequentially illustrate how the depending seal contacts andwipes across the horizontally extending, flat, upper surface of thetailgate as the tailgate is moved to its closed position.

FIGS. 12-14 illustrate the manner in which the flexible top can befastened to the sides of the vehicle with a retainer arrangementemploying the locking protuberance and recess arrangement of FIGS. 5-7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates the tailgate sealing arrangement of the presentinvention in use with a vehicle 1 with the tailgate 3 of the vehicle 1shown in its closed position. In FIG. 2, the tailgate 3 is shown in itsopen position providing access through the tailgate opening 3′ to theinterior of the vehicle 1. In such operation as best seen in these FIGS.1 and 2, the arrangement of the present invention allows the tailgate 3to be opened and closed independently of the rear portion 7 of theflexible top 5. That is, and unlike most tailgate sealing arrangements,the present invention enables the user to operate the tailgate 3 withouthaving to manipulate the rear portion 7 of the flexible top 5. Objectscan then be easily and quickly placed into or taken out of the vehicle 1through the tailgate opening 3′ by simply opening and closing just thetailgate 3. With the present invention, there is no need to undo or redoany attachments between the rear portion 7 of the flexible top 5 and thetailgate 3.

More specifically, the tailgate sealing arrangement of the presentinvention includes a relatively rigid, elongated member or crossbar 9(see the partially exploded view of FIG. 3). As illustrated, this rigidcrossbar 9 has end portions 9′ and a middle portion 9″ To this rigidmember 9, the rear portion 7 of the flexible top 5 is attached adjacentthe horizontally extending, lower section 11. This can be done in anynumber of ways. In the illustrated one as best seen in FIG. 5, asleeve-dowel arrangement 13, 15 is slideably received in the C-shapedchannel 17 on the outer or right side of the rigid member 9′ in FIG. 5.Retainer clips 19 are then mounted to the vehicle 1 on respective sidesof the tailgate opening 3′ (see again FIG. 3) on the horizontal surfaces21. In operation and to initially secure the rigid member 9 and attachedrear portion 7 of the flexible top 5 to the clips 19, the side zippers23 of the rear portion 7 are preferably first undone from the remainderof the flexible top 5. As illustrated in FIGS. 5-7, the rigid member 9with the rear portion 7 of the top 5 attached thereto is then manuallymoved to receive the horizontal flange 25 on each clip 19 in theU-shaped channel 31. In doing so, the flange 25 is received between thesubstantially parallel legs 27, 29 of the U-shaped channel 31 in eachend portion 9′ of the rigid member 9.

In this regard as shown in FIGS. 5-7, the entire rigid member 9including its end portions 9′ ends up cocked or rotated about thehorizontal member or flange 25 of each clip 19 (see FIG. 7). This is aresult of a number of things including the slight oversizing of theU-shaped channel 31 relative to the flange 25. The legs 27, 29 of theU-shaped channel 31 in each end portion 9′ are then spaced apart adistance greater than the thickness of the flange 25. Additionally, theflexible top 5 is made of slightly stretchable, resilient material. Thetop 5 is also supported on the bow structure 33 (see FIG. 2) of thevehicle 1 so that the rear portion 7 of the flexible top 5 is manuallystretched and placed under tension in the positions of FIGS. 5 and 6.Consequently, in the released position of FIG. 7, the upward force ofthe stretched, resilient rear portion 7 of the top 5 causes the rigidmember 9 to be rotated about the horizontal flange 25. Also, theflexible, bulb seal 35 depends downwardly from and extends along therigid member 9. In operation, the outer, end parts 35′ of seal 35 (seeFIG. 7) are also compressed and sealingly engage the horizontal surfaces21 on either side of the tailgate opening 3′. This compression of theouter end parts 35′ of the resilient seal 35 further tends to cock orrotate the rigid member 9 about the flange 25.

To help maintain the rigid member 9 on the flange 25, a lockingarrangement is provided with each pair of U-shaped channel 31 and flange25. This arrangement includes a rib or protuberance 37 and mating recess39 (see FIGS. 5-7). These mating members 37, 39 could be respectively oneither of members 9 and 19 but in the preferred embodiment, theprotruding rib 37 is on the lower leg 27 of the U-shaped channel 31 andthe recess 39 is in the lower surface of flange 25. The rib protuberance37 as illustrated is also preferably located along the leg 27 betweenits free end 27′ (see FIG. 5) and the base 30 of the U-shape 31. Thethickness of the flange 25 is preferably less than the spacing of thelegs 27, 29 minus the distance the protuberance 37 extends inwardly fromthe leg 27. In the preferred manner of operation as shown in FIGS. 5-7,each end portion 9′ is first manually manipulated to slide theprotuberance 37 into alignment with the recess 39 (see FIGS. 5-6). Rigidmember 9 is then released and rotates to the position of FIG. 7 underthe upward forces of the tensioned rear portion 7 of the top 5 and thecompressed, resilient seal at 35′. In the position of FIG. 7 with theprotuberance 37 mated in the recess 39 and the free end 29′ of leg 29 ofthe U-shaped channel 31 abutting the flange 25, the rigid member 9 isheld firmly in place. For ease of assembly, the recess 39 as shown ispreferably larger than the protuberance 37 wherein the protuberance 37tends to lock against one side or lip of the recess 39. The downwardlyextending, rear portion 7 of the flexible top 5 can thereafter be zippedback to the remainder of the top 5 to assume the position of FIG. 2. Atthis point, the rigid member 9 is attached at each end portion 9′ to therespective clips 19. The rigid member 9 is also supported or suspendedacross the top of the tailgate opening 3′ between the upper portions ofthe vertically extending walls 41 defining the tailgate opening 3′ (seeFIGS. 2 and 3).

In the preferred embodiment, the tailgate 3 is mounted for pivotalmovement about a vertical axis but could be mounted for movement about ahorizontal axis. In either case as illustrated in FIGS. 8-11 (which aretaken essentially along line 11—11 of FIG. 1), the tailgate 3 ispreferably mounted so that the substantially flat, upper surface 43 ofthe tailgate 3 moves along a path interrupting the suspended, centralportion 35″ of the flexible seal 35. In this manner, the tailgatesurface 43 strikes the lower section of the hollow, bulb seal 35″ (FIG.9). The seal 35″ is then compressed (FIG. 10) and wipes across the flat,upper surface 43 of the tailgate 3 as the tailgate 3 is closed to theposition of FIG. 11. This creates a very effective seal. Additionally,the compression of the resilient seal 35″ against the upper surface 43aids in maintaining the rigid member 9 in its cocked or rotated, lockedposition of FIG. 7. In this regard as previously explained, the upwardforces of the rear portion 7 of the resilient top 5 and compressed endparts 35′ of the seal 35 act against the vehicle surfaces 21 on eitherside of the tailgate opening 3′ (see FIG. 7). This initially cocks orrotates the entire rigid member 9 into its locked position of FIG. 7.Thereafter, when the tailgate 3 is closed and its flat, upper surface 43contacts and compresses the middle or remainder 35″ of the seal 35suspended across the tailgate opening 3′ (FIGS. 10 and 11), the rigidmember 9 is really not rotated beyond the locked position of FIG. 7.Rather, the additional compression of the middle seal portion 35″against the tailgate surface 43 will generate additional force orpressure tending to keep the rigid member 9 in its locked position. Inthis manner, the rigid member 9 remains in the position of FIG. 7 and isheld in this position as the tailgate 3 is closed in the sequence ofFIGS. 8-11. Although the compressible, resilient, bulb seal 35 of FIGS.8-11 is preferred, other depending seals such as a lip seal could alsobe used. Additionally, as discussed above, the tailgate 3 can be mountedto pivot about a horizontal axis wherein the flat, upper surface 43 ofthe tailgate 3 would be essentially horizontal in its closed position ofFIG. 11. The flat, upper surface 43 is also preferably at least two andeven three or more times as wide as the seal 35. The rearwardlyextending member 45 in FIGS. 8-11 is simply a rain flap to help directmoisture over the sealing arrangement.

The flexible top 5 as discussed above is stretchable and resilient. Suchstretching and resiliency are fairly limited in the sense of a canvasfabric or vinyl. Nevertheless, the flexible top 5 can be draped over thebows 33 or other support frame of the vehicle 1 (see FIG. 2) and pulledtaut to stretch a half inch or so. This places the top 5 under slighttension and the resulting force of such tension is used as explainedabove to cock or rotate the rigid member 9 (e.g., extruded aluminum) onthe horizontal flange 25 of each clip 19. Such tension is also used inthe present invention to help hold the top 5 in the side fasteners 2 onthe vehicle 1 (see FIGS. 1 and 13).

In this fastener adaptation of the co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,854, theside retaining system is additionally provided with the basic lockingarrangement of protuberance 37 and recess 39 of FIGS. 5-7. Morespecifically and as illustrated in FIG. 12, a U-shaped channel 31′ isformed by mounting member 2 to the side of the vehicle body 1′. Theflexible top 5 is then sewn or otherwise attached to the relativelyrigid belt or flange 25′ and the flange 25′ inserted into the U-shapedchannel 31′ formed by member 2 (FIG. 12). This stretches and pulls thetop 5 taut. Once inserted and upon releasing the flange 25′, theprotuberance 37′ (see FIG. 13) engages the lip of the recess 39′ to lockthe flange 25′ in place. In the modification of FIG. 14, the recess 39″is adjacent the vehicle body 1′ in a leg of the channel member 2′ andthe protuberance 37″ locks into the recess 39″. The U-shaped channels31′ and 31″ of FIGS. 12-14 are formed by and described in terms ofmembers attached to or mounted on the vehicle body 1′. However, suchU-shaped channels could obviously be made integral with the vehicle body(e.g., additional metal sheet or molded plastic portion of the vehiclebody itself). The intent is to make the U-shaped channel essentially apart of the vehicle. The locking arrangements of FIGS. 12-14 could alsobe operable in other positions relative to the top 5 as long as the top5 applied forces on the flanges 25′ and 25″ which were generallydirected away from or along the vehicle body 1′.

While several embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed in detail, it is to be understood that various changes andmodifications could be made without departing from the scope of theinvention.

I claim:
 1. A retaining arrangement primarily intended for removablyattaching a flexible, stretchable, resilient top to a vehicle body, saidretaining arrangement including: a substantially U-shaped channel meanswith legs and a base, a flange, means for attaching one of said U-shapedchannel means and said flange to said flexible top, and means formounting the other of said U-shaped channel means and said flange on thevehicle body, said flange being receivable in said U-shaped channelmeans between the legs of the U-shape, and means for locking said flangein said U-shaped channel means, said locking means including a matingprotuberance and recess wherein the protuberance is on the flange andthe recess is in one of the legs of the U-shaped channel means andwherein the legs of said U-shaped channel means are spaced apart a firstdistance and the protuberance extends outwardly of said flange a seconddistance and said flange has a predetermined, fixed shape with a fixedthickness and the spaced apart first distance of the legs of saidU-shaped channel means is greater than the thickness of said flange plussaid second distance, said flange further having first and second endportions spaced from each other, said second end portion beingreceivable in said U-shaped channel means between the legs thereofwherein said protuberance is substantially at the terminus of the secondend portion of said flange.